PAN, August 8, 2013

A mother whose Eid is marred by son’s loss

“The bomber took the life of my only son and changed this year’s Eid festival into a sea of sorrows for me”

By Hidayatullah Hamdard

“The bomber took the life of my only son and changed this year’s Eid festival into a sea of sorrows for me,” says the mother of a 24-year-old who was among 14 killed in a February suicide attack in northern Kunduz province.

The attack left another 19 people injured in Kunduz City, the provincial capital. Most of those killed were traffic police officials. They included counterterrorism chief, provincial traffic police chief and Abdul Qadir, the only son of Laila.

Qadir left behind his fiancée, a girl he loved and they were soon to marry, the 40-year-old said.

Photo: PAN

With each word she delivered tears rolled down her checks. In a choked voice she said: “I was happy thinking I would give my daughter-in-law Eidi this year when they were to tie the knot, but the suicide bomber separated them forever.”

“I have six daughters. My husband is jobless. We have no income to spend our days and nights. When children demand new clothing on Eid I can do nothing but crying.”

A native of Maimana, the provincial capital of northern Faryab, Qadir had migrated with family to Kunduz about two years ago in search of a better life.

The family currently lives in a rented house against $100 (5,000afs) per month. They often find it hard to pay the rent in the face of other daily needs.

“When I was told about the death of my child, I ran barefoot and bare head, half-unconscious. I found him cut into pieces at the hospital,” Laila said as her condition deteriorated. She was no more able to speak.

Her husband Mohammad Farooq said he was extremely shocked as he was still unable to understand how they reached the hospital.

“If the Taliban call jihad the name of massacre, taking the lives of fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, it is not jihad.”

Each year, the bereaved family would celebrate Eid joys but this year, they are in grip of poverty and encircled by columns of sorrows.

The death of their only son is now a life-long sorrow for the parents, who called on the government to help survivors of suicide attacks and take every possible measure at preventing such barbaric acts.